The new Microsoft Surface Pro 3 tablet with detachable keyboard and pen for writing on the screen after it was unveiled May 19, 2014, in New York.

Written by

Edward C. Baig
USA TODAY

Microsoft had Apple in the cross hairs when it introduced the Surface Pro 3 tablet last week. Every one of Apple's tablet rivals has iPad-envy after all. What was unexpected was the degree to which Microsoft hammered its claim that the newest Surface also is meant to duke it out against Apple's popular MacBook Air laptop as well. Left unsaid was that Surface Pro 3 might also slug it out against any number of Ultrabook computers though Microsoft was understandably reluctant to utter such a thing out loud since Windows software is the lifeblood of Ultrabooks.